Serving the mental health needs of the Barrington community since 1972!
MEET OUR THERAPISTS
Isabel Acevedo, MA LCPC, Clinical Manager
Isabel Acevedo, LCPC has returned to BYFS as a Bilingual Clinical Therapist. She has experience as a therapist in a wide variety of settings and has been working in the field since 2012. She likes to help her clients reach their full potential and likes to develop strong therapeutic rapport with her clients to ensure that they feel safe and understood. She likes to help her clients challenge their unproductive beliefs and limiting behaviors by helping them discover their self-worth.
She has a wide range of experience in trauma and the effects of abuse. She has five years worth of group counseling experience and has also worked in an inpatient hospital setting for a few years. Isabel has worked with a large range of issues and is fluent in Spanish and bicultural. She is currently a University Professor, teaching psychology courses. Isabel looks forward to working with you and helping you be in a better place emotionally.
Richard Cornwall, LCSW
Richard Cornwall, LCSW is a knowledgeable and experienced mental health therapist who works to promote emotional wellness through encouragement and support. He has years of varied experience working with adults, adolescents and children. His experience allows him to advocate for individuals and families by providing them with resources to support their overall well-being. He has had much success using narrative, music and play therapy as effective means to working with his clients.
He has his Bachelor's in Social Work from the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and his Master's in Social Work from George Williams College of Aurora University.
Richard's other love is spending time with his family, including his two lovely daughters Abigail and Hazel who are his greatest pride and joy.
Janay Fuentes, LSW
Janay Fuentes joined BYFS as a bilingual therapist in June of 2024. Janay holds a Bachelor of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She graduated with her Master's in Social Work in 2024 from the University of Illinois Chicago. She has experience in working with adolescents, children, and their parents. She is dedicated to nurturing the emotional well-being of children and supporting their families. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she actively collaborates with parents and caregivers to foster resilience and strengthen family relationships.
Her passion for helping others led her to specialize in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and a combination of play therapy with family systems theory to emphasize a holistic approach to childhood development and familial dynamics. Janay is dedicated to creating a safe and supportive environment where children can explore their emotions and learn coping skills.
Monica Messina, LPC
Monica is a Licensed Professional Counselor who graduated with her Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling in 2017 and is a member of the American Counseling Association. She promises respect, empathy and unwavering support for all people who walk through the door. Although Monica uses an integrative approach to counseling, she relies heavily on Solution-Focused Therapy, helping clients change by constructing solutions rather than focusing on problems. Her favorite part of the therapeutic process is having them leave feeling more capable and fulfilled in their own lives.
Monica began her career counseling mothers overcoming addiction. Outside of Barrington Youth and Family Services, Monica currently facilitates groups with children and teens struggling with severe aggression and depression. She is always looking for the newest strategies to help facilitate positive change.
Monica enjoys learning, whether it's a new song on the piano or new theories on narcissistic abuse. She is currently training to become an ADHD Clinical Services provider.
Elisa Tessier, LCSW
Elisa is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 20 years of experience working with children and their parents. She enjoys developing a therapeutic relationship with parents to further develop their relationship with their children. In order to support the child, she strives to be a consistent partner with parents to explore effective communication styles that promotes positive behaviors from their children. She incorporates an empathetic and collaborative approach in therapy, walking alongside clients on their personal journey.
Elisa works to build productive relationships with families, children, school districts, doctors, churches, and community agencies, focusing on providing the best environment for her clients to thrive. As a professional, passionate and caring advocate, Elisa facilitates and supports awareness and connection among stakeholders to develop successful strategies, meet mutual goals, and provide better outcomes. She strongly believes in working collaboratively, as partners, which allows learning from one another for the benefit of her clients.
Tarah Bishop, Intern
Tarah is joining Barrington Youth and Family Services as a counselor intern while completing her Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Adler University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Governors State University and has spent the past seven years working with teens in various high school settings. For the last four years, she has focused specifically on advocacy work, where she quickly learned that humor, patience, and snacks can lay the foundation for solving a surprising number of problems.
Tarah strives to create a safe space where individuals can show up authentically, especially when navigating life’s complexities. With a down-to-earth presence and unconditional acceptance, she meets people exactly where they are. When she is not working, Tarah is likely outdoors, at a concert, behind her camera lens, or managing her home zoo, which includes a boyfriend, two cats, and a very mischievous parrot.
MEET OUR STAFF
Betsy Wintringer, Executive Director
As a parent and lifelong Barrington community member, I see incredible importance in the mission of BYFS. As a nonprofit professional, the opportunity to work alongside community leaders and board members to help shape the vision of this great organization and the impact it will have on our families and community is exciting. I am honored to be trusted with this role.
My professional experience includes nonprofit management and marketing and communications for multiple professional societies and volunteer-run organizations; corporate sales and marketing, and social work in group home settings.
I am a mom to two wonderful children, Ellie and Harry Jr., married to a fabulous man (Harry Sr.) and owner of two happy hounds.
Please feel free to reach out if I can be of assistance. I look forward to meeting many of you out in the community!
Renee Blue, Associate Executive Director
Renee is a purpose-driven nonprofit professional with deep experience in communications and educational programming. A resident of the Barrington area for over 20 years, she enjoys partnering with the many thriving local organizations that serve the community. She is grateful for the opportunity to work with the Barrington Youth & Family Services board and staff to ensure the delivery of high-quality services and programs for BYFS clients and the wider community.
Renee holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Kenyon College and pursued graduate studies in Educational Psychology at National Louis University. She is a mom to two high school and college-aged sons, wife to Matt (a nearly lifelong Barrington resident and devoted cyclist), and semi-professional walker of dogs Lulu and Eddie. Outside of work, she can be found in her garden or out exploring local trails.
Anne Baumfeld, Director of Special Projects
Anne is BYFS' Director of Special projects where she delivers project management, strategic planning and implementation support for key organizational initiatives.
Along with a passion for service and community, Anne brings considerable experience and expertise to the role, having held several leadership and development roles at domestic and international non-profit organizations before joining BYFS in April 2018. She also served as Treasurer of BYFS' Auxiliary Board from 2016-2018.
Anne holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from the University of Notre Dame and a Master's degree in Public Administration from New York University. She lives in Barrington with her husband, three children and two terriers.
Kiran Birdi, Office Manager
Kiran joined BYFS in November of 2018 and brings with her over a decade of customer service experience as well as several years of management experience working as a Practice Manager at a psychiatrist’s office here in Barrington.
Kiran oversees office operations and is committed to making our patients', and their families', experience at BYFS a positive one. She encourages a work environment that provides excellent customer service to clients, outside professionals as well as internal clinicians with her positive attitude and friendly demeanor.
Born and raised in England UK, Kiran graduated from the University of Wolverhampton with a Bachelor’s degree in Law. She moved to the US in 1999 and resides in the Northwest Suburbs with her husband, daughter, and two sons.
